Imperfection in 360 Degrees of Eyesight
by Gensomaden-Saiyuki
Summary: Takes place before and after the Chuunin Exams. She always knew he had a blind spot. He was invincible whenever she covers up for him. Until one day, she discovers that he refused to take her with him, choosing more not to be invincible. NejiTen Oneshot


**_DISCLAIMER:_ If I was Masashi Kishimoto-sama, Neji and Tenten should have been married even before they reached the Chuunin Exams. Oh and, I don't own the song _Invincible_ by Christian Bautista.**

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_ It would be best if you play the song _Invincible_ by Christian Bautista if you have a copy of it while you're reading this one-shot… It will give a more dramatic effect.**

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**Imperfection in 360 Degrees of Eyesight**

_**By: Gensomaden-Saiyuki**_

* * *

"Lee, where are you going!" a brown-haired kunoichi asked a boy clad in green clothing with orange shin guards.

Tenten had spotted Lee approaching the Konoha gates and she managed to catch his attention. Lee stopped from his tracks and saw Tenten approaching.

"I'm going to find Naruto and the others." Lee smiled.

"What do you mean Naruto and the others? How could he leave with his broken team? Sasuke's not here any more! But Sakura… I just saw her at the Yamanaka flower shop just now! I saw Kakashi-sensei going to the Hokage Tower with Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei." Tenten added, "So how could Naruto leave?"

Tenten happened to know about Sasuke's absence because she overheard Gai talking to Lee when she visited him once in the hospital.

"Tenten, Naruto is not with his teammates. I was supposed to be in the same team that he went with right now." Lee explained everything to his female teammate, "It's just that, I couldn't leave because I was being strictly observed by the Hokage so now is the perfect opportunity to go."

"What do you mean?"

Lee sighed and approached Tenten, "You do know Nara Shikamaru, right? And just recently, the Hokage promoted him as a chuunin, and then he was given a difficult task – to track down Sasuke. But he's not alone; he was given the freedom to select anyone from the genins. He chose Naruto, Kiba, Choji and who supposedly should be me, but I told them that Neji can go. So Neji went as my replacement. But I can really say I can go now… I'll help them out."

"What! Neji went!" Tenten exclaimed, "B-but that's insane! Without me, his Byakugan's blind spot! His blind spot is unprotected without me!"

He gave her an assuring smile, "That's why I'm going, Tenten. I always knew your teamwork with Neji and what was his purpose why he always chooses you to back him up in each and every mission we have."

Tenten looked troubled.

* * *

**--- (F L A S H B A C K) ---**

Neji was spinning around madly, a dome of blue chakra surrounding him and deflecting all of Tenten's weapons.

She was exhausted and stopped hurling her random weapons at him, just as he stopped his Hakkeshou Kaiten.

They have been sparring all day long and it was almost sundown. They've been there since dawn and sparring non-stop. They were preparing themselves for the upcoming Chuunin Exams. They didn't want to fail just like they did last year. As usual, Lee was practicing with their jounin master, Maito Gai.

Neji was panting now and so is Tenten. But she gathered up her remaining chakra and was able to leap from tree to tree, hurling more weapons than ever throughout the day.

Neji used his Jyuuken to deflect the weapons but then something unexpected happened – his back was bleeding after a kunai just stabbed him.

This alarmed Tenten. Sure, she was pretty bruised up and beat down by Neji and all, having cuts on different parts of her body but he didn't even get a cut since they started. He just had dirt on his face, his arms, legs and shirt but never a bruise or wound was seen on his skin.

Tenten leapt on the ground and approached Neji who was on his knees and closed his eyes as the veins on his face rested, deactivating his Byakugan.

"N-Neji? What went wrong?" Tenten approached the Hyuuga prodigy.

He tried to stand up but Tenten held him by the shoulders and said, "Sit down."

He sighed and just sat down.

"Neji, this is going to hurt a bit." Tenten warned as she had a gentle grip on the kunai stabbing his spine, "Ready?"

He nodded and she quickly pulled off the kunai and he groaned and crouched down a bit in pain. She threw the bloody kunai away from them and she said, "Neji, I need you to take your shirt off."

Neji sat back up and Tenten aided him in taking his shirt off. She reached for her first aid holster which was strapped on her waist, her pink Chinese blouse completely hiding this pouch. She got a clean white cloth and she started wiping off the blood from his bare back. As she was doing so, she saw his fists clenched on the grass.

She sighed, "Are you having a bad day, Neji?"

"…No." He replied.

"Are you not feeling well today?"

"I'm fine." He said with anger.

She swallowed hard, "Did you not see my weapon aiming at your back?"

That statement made Neji angrier.

He raised his hand, signaling that she should stop what she's doing.

He stared at the ground and gnashed his teeth.

Tenten wondered, _"It's impossible for him not to see my weapon! His eyesight can see at a full 360 degrees! And else, I was within his 100-feet radius, so he should have sensed everything that I threw at him!"_

She looked at the wound she just made on Neji's bare back, peeking closely at it. She hesitantly smiled and said, "It's not a deep wound Neji."

"Tenten, I want you to listen to me." Neji told her.

Tenten went to sit by his right side and asked, "What's wrong?"

Neji looked at her with disappointed crystal-clear eyes. He sighed and said, "I didn't see the kunai you hurled onto my back."

Her eyes narrowed as soon as she was able to register what he had just said into her mind, "But Neji! You're invincible! You didn't see my kunai? That… that's impossi-"

"I HAVE A BLIND SPOT." Neji raised his voice a little.

Tenten silenced herself.

"I… I have a blind spot." He corrected his tone, "The Byakugan can see 360 degrees, but there is a blind spot, wherein it cannot see anything. The place where you wounded me… That's where my blind spot is. Just below the 7 cervical vertebras and approximately on the first thoracic vertebra… that's the area wherein I cannot see anything."

He diverted his gaze from her and stared at his trembling fists. She stayed quiet.

"…I thought I finally became as invincible as other people think I am… I thought I finally became invincible as **you** think I am… I thought I lost that blind spot, but the wound you gave me just proved that I'm going to have to live with the blind spot on my back forever."

She stared at the reddish-orange skies, clashed with hues of blue and purple, the fluffy clouds having linings of golden red-orange.

She sighed and said, "You shouldn't feel bad about that, Neji. You're really lucky."

Neji jerked his head up and saw Tenten looking at the skies, and placed the bloody white cloth she used on her lap.

"Only the Hyuuga Clan was given the gift of seeing **almost** everything within the 100-feet radius at 360 degrees… Since you practice so hard, you've become pretty invincible… The name 'Hyuuga Neji' is feared by all of your opponents, because they know how powerful you are. Remember when I said I just wanted to be like the legendary sanin Tsunade? Well, I think I can't be as great as her…" She smiled and looked at him, "But if I had the same eyes as you have, I might be at my age right now. So consider yourself lucky."

Neji felt relieved by what she said and snickered a bit, "For a girl with ordinary eyesight, **you are** powerful. All girls have these insecurities when fighting but not you."

Tenten shook her head in ridicule and went back to sit behind him, clutching the bloody cloth on her right hand and she began cleaning his wound again.

"It's rare for a ninja to have a killer accuracy. You would do well if you'll be an assassin in the future." Neji added, "But I won't allow you to be that."

Tenten was confused by his statement and reached for a disinfectant from her first aid pouch and some cotton buds too. She dipped a cotton bud in the disinfectant bottle and gently dabbed the medication on his wound.

"Because from now on, I will be invincible… because my blind spot shall be shielded by **you**." Neji strongly said.

"What? Me?" Tenten giggled, "Please, no."

"I won't take 'no' for an answer, Tenten. You're the only one that I know capable enough of covering up my blind spot. In return, I will back you up. Starting tomorrow, we will practice on how you can shield my blind spot. From there on in, wherever I go in a mission, you go too."

Tenten bandaged his back by applying a sterilized linen bandage around his upper chest, just below his clavicles and across his wound. She secured the bandage and said, "There, you can wear your shirt now."

While doing so, she added, "So in short, I'll be your sidekick?"

Neji smiled, "Exactly."

**--- (END OF FLASHBACK) ---**

* * *

"Don't worry, Tenten. If I find him along the way, I'll help him out and tell him to go back here." Lee patted Tenten on her shoulders.

"Lee! I'll come with you-"

"No. Tenten, you stay here. You're much needed here now because Konoha is lacking ninjas who can help out in areas where recovery is needed." Lee shook his head, "Do this for Neji."

Tenten sighed and said, "Okay. But please take care, Lee. You're not fully healed yet."

Lee made that nice guy pose and winked at her, "Don't worry, I'll heed your advice."

Then, Lee went and Tenten walked back to Konoha, _"Neji, without me, you're not invincible. So you better be well when you return."_

It was a few days later when Shizune and the medical team brought in the badly injured bodies of Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba and…

"Neji!" Tenten screamed through the crowd forming by the gates of Konoha as bodies in stretchers were rushed into the Konoha Hospital.

Neji was bloody and had countless wounds all over his body, he was clutching his forehead protector in his right hand, and the Hyuuga cursed seal on his forehead was shown.

Nara Shikamaru, the team leader was walking his way into Konoha, with the Sand Siblings: Temari, Kankoro and Gaara, who helped them through the mission. Gaara and Kankoro aided Lee in walking past the gates of Konoha and up to the Konoha Hospital.

"Lee!" Tenten screamed once more as she saw him walking with the Sand Brothers, their sister just behind them.

Lee caught sight of the worried and horrified Tenten through the crowds and smiled at her, "I'm sorry, Tenten! I pushed myself over the limits… But I did bring back Neji, right?"

Tenten just wanted to cry at that moment but she just smiled back at him, relieved that at least he was slightly fine. But she felt bad for Hyuuga Neji – to her, he seemed dead.

Then, Kakashi was the last to enter past the gates of Konoha, walking along his side was his most trusted ninja dog, Pakkun and on Kakashi's back was an injured and unconscious Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto!" Sakura was able to make her way through the crowds and approached Kakashi who halted for a while.

Kakashi diverted his look from her and just continued walking.

It was just then when Tenten realized, she might have the same problem as Sakura, but not that severe. Her problem was both of her teammates risked their lives just to be able to return Uchiha Sasuke to Konoha, but they both failed and even returned in critical conditions. She felt out of place – she felt like she should've been there. If she was, then Neji might've been conscious and walking tall and proud that he had defeated the Sound nins. He was invincible. But his poor condition now just proved to her something… The imperfection in 360 degrees of his eyesight was minor but when discovered, it can be his major weakness.

She felt really bad. She wanted to grab a kunai and pierce it through her heart and die because she wasn't with him.

She turned on her heel and went to her house. And there, she cried helplessly – something she never or rarely did. She concealed all her emotions within her fighting spirit, only to be overpowered by her love for her teammates. And for that moment, she was weak.

The next day…

Tenten walked slowly as she entered the Intensive Care Unit of the Konoha Hospital. She had been informed that Neji was cured of all injuries through Shizune and the medic team's Chikatsu Saisei no Jutsu or the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique. Neji was now just recovering from fatigue. They told her he must've been really worn out, a genius like him accumulating that many injuries.

_I don't have nerves of steel  
I have a heart that feels  
I may have cried a million tears but I won't drown  
_

She swallowed hard as she swished open the sliding door of Neji's ICU room. The darkness of the room embraced her, but what saddened her most was Neji's condition. She closed the door behind her and sat on a chair beside him.

_I let myself unfold  
Gave you my hand to hold  
you took me beyond where I could see  
and then you let go of me  
_

The imperfection in his 360 degrees of eyesight proved critical, just by observing how tired he looked on that bed, it was like he had never slept for days and he had just slept this moment. Tenten looked at the Hyuuga prodigy, whom we can consider or presume her best friend, since they knew a lot about each other. He was shirtless and machines were attached to him, reading his vital signs. His long hair spread out on his back as he lay there and slept. The rising and falling of his toned chest irregular.

Tenten looked at the Hyuuga cursed seal on his forehead and then at his forehead protector, lying untouched on the bedside table.

_I was damaged by the fall  
Got the wind knocked out of me  
to be standing here at all  
I must be invincible_

"For a genius, you **are** pretty careless and stupid." Tenten murmured, "Look what you put yourself into."

Just then, tears flowed freely from her eyes, she was weak again. Every time she cried, she considered it her weakness. She placed a hand over her lips to stop any sobs from escaping.

_I thought that I would break  
But now I have come to see  
Something strong and beautiful inside of me  
I must be invincible_

_

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**--- (F L A S H B A C K) ---**

Neji sighed as he leaned his back against the trunk of a tree, after escaping the pursuit of his rabid fangirls. Tenten was with him, she was like his navigator, telling him which way to go and where he could hide. Tenten leapt off from the branch of a tree he was leaning on and stood beside him. She giggled.

"What's so funny?" Neji's eyes twitched.

"Nothing, it's just that you were so desperate to escape from those girls that you even asked me to lead you the way to a safe place!" Tenten grinned, "You must be weak against them."

Neji smirked, "I like girls who would conceal their emotions. I don't want them to be very vocal about how they feel. I consider a female's crying their weakness."

From then on, Tenten concealed her emotions and had secretly been infatuated to Neji.

**--- (END OF FLASHBACK) ---**

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_I don't have X-ray eyes  
don't have a heart so wise  
how could I have known you'd let me down  
_

Tenten quickly wiped away her tears only to find out that pearl eyes were staring straight at her.

"Neji, why didn't you tell me you were in a mission?" Tenten had a tone of anger in her voice.

He didn't reply, instead he diverted his gaze from her and sighed.

"Neji! You know about the imperfection of your Byakugan! Without me, you're not invincible! You said we should team up together for you to become flawless and superior! But you were the one who went against your own rules… why didn't you take me with you!" Tenten scolded.

_If I have known that then  
if my eyes were wide open  
I still believe I would've risked it  
There's no way I would've missed it  
_

"I did that on purpose. I didn't tell you that I had a mission on purpose." He replied.

"WHY!" Tenten half-yelled, "If you only took me with you, your condition wouldn't be as severe! I was worried sick about you! When you entered the gates on a stretcher, seeing you lifeless, with countless wounds and bloody all over, you made me feel bad about myself! I felt bad because I wasn't there to hide your imperfection!"

"I just don't want others getting hurt or killed for my own sake… My father did that to me and I didn't want things happening again." Neji told her, "Don't you understand?"

_I was damaged by the fall  
Got the wind knocked out of me  
to be standing here at all  
I must be invincible_

"Neji, take pity on yourself! Don't you love yourself even just a bit? Why won't you take a better look at the bigger picture! You literally pushed yourself over the limits and allowed yourself to be treated like a mutilated rag doll!" she continued to lesson him.

"Tenten, I am aware that without you, I am not invincible. However, like what I said, I don't want others getting hurt or killed for my own sake." Neji replied, "I'd rather be in this critical state than see or hear about someone important to me in a worse condition than I am or… even dead. Don't you still understand, Tenten?"

_I thought that I would break  
But now I have come to see  
Something strong and beautiful inside of me  
I must be invincible  
_

"Damn it Neji, stop messing with my head!" Tenten harangued and wasn't able to hold her emotions any more.

She finally broke down and cried, sobs escaping her throat and a river of tears flowing down from her chocolate eyes.

"You're the one who can't give the bigger picture a better look, Tenten." Neji added.

_It's a blessing and a curse  
but you find out just what you're worth_

Then, Tenten shivered at his touch. Hyuuga Neji reached out and wiped away the tears from her eyes with his own hands.

"I hate it when girls cry." He told her monotonously.

_I was damaged by the fall  
Got the wind knocked out of me  
to be standing here at all  
I must be invincible_

Tenten shoved away his hand and used her own hands to wipe away those silly tears.

"You insensitive jerk." She said.

Neji gave her his trademark smirk and said, "I was afraid, that's why I didn't take you with me."

"What?" Tenten asked dumbfounded.

"I didn't want you to die." Neji clarified.

_I thought that I would break  
But now I have come to see  
Something strong and beautiful inside of me  
I must be invincible  
_

"What if I took you only for me to become invincible? Yes, you will be able to protect my imperfection but what if I can't protect you? You would die, Tenten. And if you did, I will be forever guilty for your death and I don't want that to happen." Neji explained, "We have agreed since that day when we started to build up a mutual teamwork to hide each other's flaws that you will protect my blind spot and in return, I will back you up, and I am obliged to protect you. Now as I look back at the mission, I finally realized that I made a good choice of not taking you. But if I did…Tenten, I won't be able to protect you."

Tenten could only stare with confused eyes.

"Now do you understand?" Neji looked at her with sincere eyes. One she never saw from him before.

_I must be invincible…  
_

Tenten nodded and replied, "Thank you, Neji."

He snickered, "What for?"

_I must be invincible…  
_

"Everything," Tenten smiled, "you really are my best friend."

Tenten stood up and bowed at him.

_I must be invincible…  
_

She bent over at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Both of them blushed.

She waved goodbye to him and opened the door to leave, "You are invincible, Neji."

And with that, she left.

_I must be invincible…  
_

Neji was still blushing and reached a hand on his forehead and smirked.

"I am invincible when I am with you, Tenten." He whispered to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

A few days later…

_I must be invincible…  
_

It was sundown and Tenten was cleaning up their practicing grounds. After tidying up, she bade goodbye to her ever trusted teammate – Hyuuga Neji, now feeling better.

But when she was about to leave, Neji placed his arms around her: her back onto his chest and his strong arms wrapped protectively around her, just below her shoulders. His breath near her ears sent shivers down her spine.

_I must be invincible…  
_

"Thank you, Tenten." He told her.

"What for?" she asked.

"You made me invincible." Neji replied.

"You are invincible in your very own ways-"

"I love you, Tenten." He turned her around and stared lovingly into her brown eyes.

She blushed at his confession and answered, "I… I uhm… I love you, Neji."

He bent down and brushed his lips against hers and hugged her tight.

_I must be invincible…  
_

…He knows that she can completely hide the imperfection in 360 degrees of his eyesight. But he also realized that he was an imperfection, and so is she. She was his strength and his weakness. She was the perfect imperfection to him, because she completed him.

…That's why everyone in Konoha considers these two invincible: Hyuuga Neji was a talented and strong shinobi while his blind spot's shield, Tenten, was a gifted kunoichi endowed with killer accuracy with weapons.

…They shared a bond like no other.

…And they were partners until the end.

…But right now, Hyuuga Neji's 360 degrees of eyesight only focuses on one: Tenten.

…She was the very reason he was invincible.

…The imperfection was absolutely perfect.

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_**The End**_


End file.
